NFL held an owners-only meeting in Arizona

Every league meeting includes a variety of sessions attended by a variety of people. Last week in Arizona, one specific session included only the owners.

Unusual but not unprecedented, the owners-only meeting (technically an executive session of the Finance and Compensation Committees) focused in part on discussions regarding Commissioner Roger Goodell’s next contract and succession planning, based on a potential transition that would be initiated by Goodell after the next labor deal and TV contracts are finalized. The owners-only meeting also included an opportunity for any and all owners to speak about any and all topics they chose.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke extensively during the meeting, per a source with direct knowledge of the session. As a source close to Jones explained it to PFT, Jones knows from experience that most of the membership will choose not to speak up in those situations. Jones decided to introduce topics about which he and other owners have questions or concerns.

As to the issue of Goodell’s next contract, Jones suggested that all owners be involved in the process. Currently, the Compensation Committee handles the determination and negotiation of Goodell’s pay. Multiple owners currently believe that broader involvement of the membership would result in terms more favorable to the league. (To put it more bluntly, some in the room think they may be paying Goodell too much money.)

Jones also raised the question of the NFL’s position on marijuana. Jones, per a source who heard the comments, wants the league to drop its prohibition on marijuana use. Jones was reminded that the issue falls under the umbrella of collective bargaining, which would require the players to make one or more concessions in exchange for significant changes to the marijuana prohibition.

Separately, the league office reiterated to PFT its position that any changes to the substance-abuse policy would occur within the confines of labor negotiations, and that the league is willing to listen to the medical community about any potential changes to the rules regarding marijuana.

Jones likewise urged an end to the practice of investigating off-field misconduct. The NFL became more proactive regarding these issues after the Ray Rice situation forced the league to no longer defer to the criminal justice system, which often imposes insufficient sanctions for clear acts of misbehavior.

A league spokesman told PFT that the NFL continues to maintain its commitment to pursuing investigations that are relevant and meaningful, and that the league office always looks to be efficient when conducting investigations.

The Cowboys had no comment as to any aspect of this story.

Jones’ concerns regarding marijuana and investigations are understandable; he has seen players like Rolando McClain, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Randy Gregory lost in recent years to suspensions under the substance-abuse policy. As to the league’s recent decision to investigate misconduct even after a criminal case is closed, Jones has lingering frustrations flowing from the Ezekiel Elliott situation, which has still not been resolved by the league.

That said, a source close to Jones insisted that he remains fully committed to Goodell. Which is important for Goodell, given the influence Jones has over many league matters.

He’d apparently like to have even more influence as to the three specific issues mentioned. For now, though, it appears that dramatic changes aren’t coming, on any of those points.

As once source explained it, it’s possible that owners-only meetings will occur on a more regular basis moving forward. This would give Jones and others a chance to raise any and all ideas or concerns that they may have regarding a wide variety of topics and challenges facing the league.

What a cadre. Jerry Jones would vote to put 32 teams in the playoffs in order to be able to say he is the GM of a team that made the playoffs two years in a row, and how would the league react if any other GM in the league was involved in selling tickets and suites for any other team in the league?

The question that should probably be asked in an owners only meeting is to invite all owners to be involved in developing a list of relevant qualifications, and a short list of people that have the qualifications and capabilities necessary to be a successful commissioner of the NFL (which includes being an arbitrator pursuant to the CBA, and an individual who can better relate to the fan base of the NFL).

But…it’s probably more likely that discussion was about how much Goodell should be paid for the $120M “accounting mistake”, “misplacing” the concussion data, pulling off “deflategate”, and burying a year’s worth of PSI data.

I’ll bet they also told chargers owner dean spanos that if his team doesnt attract fans to fill the stadium in LA and is a complete failure in moving to the LA market that he better be ready to move back down the coast to san diego where 90 % of his fanbase resides.

Between marijuana testing and the extreme power goodell has in discipline, it’s looking like the players are going to have to make massive concessions in the next CBA. I’m sure the owners are hoping they will trade those aspects for an 18 game season.

Of course Jones wants the league to drop its prohibition on marijuana use. He owns the cowboys and cannot keep his players clean. This is the team that had the party house dubbed The White House for years. A haven for cowboy players to bring girls and drugs and do what cowboy players do! Draft high character players Jerry and you won’t have to worry so much! Of course the reality is all teams have these problems to varying degrees. As public perception changes regarding marijuana, the league changes its (pretended concern) stance as well. Keep the players on the field since we cant get them to stop smoking.

As to the issue of Goodell’s next contract, Jones suggested that all owners be involved in the process.
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Maybe thinking about those 360,000 owners in Green Bay is why Integrity Goodell decided to ignore Rodgers’ 2015 admission of a long-running scheme to play with improperly inflated balls? I know some of Aaron’s defenders say the over-inflating was (supposedly) always done before the ref’s pre-game inspection and not after, to which I say: so you’re saying if a ref doesn’t spot you cheating it isn’t cheating??

IMHO the owners position reversal on marijuana is likely do to more highly credible evidence of the non-addictive, anti-inflammatory benefits provided by the CBD compound in pot.

The league is facing stiff criticism from several communities about the over prescribing and consequently abuse of opiate based meds among current and former players. All though you maybe be replacing one easily abused drug with another, the sense may be among the owner that pot is lesser of two evils.

The horse is out of the barn when is comes to the legalization of pot for both medical and recreational use. This is a smart position for the owners to take both for protecting the players health and the owners product on the field.

Jerruh Jones would sign Charles Manson if he thought he could help the Cowboys, so we all know where he’s coming from.
Sure, Jerruh — let’s get rid of all rules pertaining to behavior in the NFL! Get rid of the Gatorade barrels and put half kegs there instead! Let the players use PED’s until they’re 8 feet tall and 500 lbs! Hand them joints when they leave the tunnel and call time outs to let them take a hit during the game! And have prostitutes assigned to their rooms on road trips! (Wait a minute — I think that one is already in place for a lot of the guys).
Jerruh Jones is a first class dirt bag. We all saw the pictures of him with women in poses that were not appropriate. Ezekiel Elliott pulling a woman’s top down in public to expose her breast probably gave Jerruh great pleasure. The only think he’s upset about is he wasn’t there to enjoy it. Never mind that Jones represents the NFL just as the players do, but he is also married.
Marijuana is going to be legalized everywhere, there is no question about that. The big lie about it is that is a safe drug to use on a regular basis. The facts say otherwise. And the pro-legalizing groups always compare its use to alcohol and prescription drugs in defending it. But that’s not the point. We all know that abusing alcohol, prescription drugs and even cigarettes is very bad for ones health. That’s not to say that everyone who smokes will get lung cancer, because they won’t. But anyone who doesn’t know that smoking has killed millions of people from cancer and other ailments is blind.
It saddens me to see how our values in this country have deteriorated over the last 50 years. I lived through the 1960’s and the “turn on, tune in, drop out” philosophy fostered by Dr. Timothy Leary has been adopted in many ways. We seem to be hell bent on destroying ourselves in this country today. I don’t understand it and never will.
But it’s the reality and I realize there’s no fighting it.
So everybody grab your pot and smoke your brains out for all I care. I know this much — the guys and girls who did that stuff when I was in high school in the 1960’s were the kids who caused the most trouble and had no sense of right and wrong. I never thought for a moment that their kind would win out, but they have. I know I’m in the minority now, but it saddens the hell out of me.

Kraft the billionaire businessman NFL owner doesn’t have too much trouble seeing the benefit of separating himself from Kraft the fan that bought his hometown team when it comes to big picture decisions. His son Jonathan, the heir apparent, has been known to see things a little differently.

Is it really so hard to not smoke pot for the few short years you are an NFL player ? How can anyone say that pot does not affect you in some way physically as it pertains to physical performance ?

Do you want your doctor high before he performs surgery ? Your police officers and firefighters when making life or death decisions ? I could go on and on.

The game needs to maintain its integrity, and the players need to stay clean. The minimum salary for a player on the 53 man roster is . Not one of these players would even come close to making that kind of money coming out of college, with a degree or not.

The NFL is bigger than ANY individual player, from Tom Brady to the most obscure free agent. If the players can’t abide by the rules, especially simple ones like don’t smoke dope, then they should be banned. No one has the right to play in the NFL.

The long standing argument with regards to weed is that it is not addictive. If that’s the case, then why are there so many repeat offenders ? It is astonishing that we as a country are relenting on so many different social issues. The lack of respect for the law on so many levels today is the beginning of the end for this country.

Many know, when you are in ANY on site job related accident, you get tested for drugs..right then…..Getting a foot run over by a forklift, putting a nail gun thru your hand, dropping a container on a truck hazardly…..in my field, this has happened and in 90% it was drugs (and 90%) pot related… I know football is fun and games and if these guys on sunday miss obvious wrong routes, missed blocks, and other stupid plays misplays, I bet 90% of the time it will be the player saying, “dude, that was a snap 22 right, sorry, got my direction wrong… I owe ya a dubbie….”…..ha ha ha……

Since the 1960’s, pot has been widely consumed on college campuses across our country. A lot of these well educated kids started cutting certain foods out of their diets, and a lot of them chose pot over alcohol. Many continued using pot after they got out of college and started businesses and families. Many are very successful people. Many became, judges, lawyers, doctors, presidents. Many of the college athletes are among this group, including guys who went on to star in the NFL. Some of the NFL players who came through this era ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Many of the players who have been inducted into Canton in the last 40 years were frequent pot smokers. During this same era, a lot of our young men and women joined our military and helped defend our country. Many fought overseas. Most that I’ve talked to were pot smokers too. They were overseas protecting our freedom. So if our HOF players and our elite military can do their jobs while using pot, I don’t think we need big government intrusion into private people’s lives. People who never fought overseas probably don’t have the same respect for freedom as these soldiers do. Some people who are against pot were draft dodgers too. Why do some people want to control the lives of others? Usually it’s because their own lives are out of control. Sad.

Should you retain a Commissioner who has turned the league into a laughingstock, who routinely embarrasses himself in front of the entire country, and who is despised by nearly all fans to the point he is openly booed at both the draft and at award ceremonies? Tough call.

It’s funny seeing Jerry Jones push his weight around. He couldn’t do that when Carmen Policy and Eddie Debartalo were running the 49ers. Carmen Policy was having none of Jerry Jones crap. He’ll put the Raiders ownership in their place as well.

President of the U.S. is paid $400k and is entrusted with the keys to the nuclear codes.
NFL commissioner is paid $43m and can’t keep his league clean, his players in line, or his owners from being greedy pigs, moving franchises at will.

Yep, something is sure out of line. No concussion talks? How about the next commissioner being started at a couple hundred thousand a year, with scheduled incremental increased based upon, wait for it, performance, and the salary difference of about $42.8m donated to retired NFl players’ long term medical care, and or concussion research, and or flat spread out among several hundred charities??

St. Louis, Baltimore, San Diego, Oakland: fans have had their hearts broken and their teams torn away from them, all for only one single reason: greed. Put a better product on the field, and they will come. For what is about to be spent by them in LV, Oakland could build a first class stadium and stay home. Same for the other two teams, all of whom wanted to burden taxpayers with some of the cost? Since when do private business owners wishing to improve their product turn to the taxpayer for help? Take your profits and sink them back into your business. No taxpayer has ever benefitted from donating to billionaires. The argument that jobs are created and hotels and taxis are filled for ten home game annually, is weak. Shame on the greedy tunnel-visioned owners for their selfish actions in ruining a once-great product for so many.

@cardinalsfan20… why did bob Marley die? Lung cancer! And he wasn’t smoking cigarettes buddy… to sit here and tell everyone that smoking pot has zero effects on ones health is the dumbest thing I’ve heard this year. I used to smoke pot daily. Every day through my teen and early adult years… i quit because I wanted a decent job and I realized pot makes you stupid. I can’t remember basic things unless I write it down these days… and…. uh…. what was I talking about?

datschu says:
Apr 2, 2017 1:29 PM
@cardinalsfan20… why did bob Marley die? Lung cancer! And he wasn’t smoking cigarettes buddy… to sit here and tell everyone that smoking pot has zero effects on ones health is the dumbest thing I’ve heard this year. I used to smoke pot daily. Every day through my teen and early adult years… i quit because I wanted a decent job and I realized pot makes you stupid. I can’t remember basic things unless I write it down these days… and…. uh…. what was I talking about?
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Outlaw alcohol? Outlaw beef? Outlaw handguns? Outlaw cars? Where do you want to stop? These things kill way more people than pot. What I thought was interesting was whenever they’d have an initiative on a ballot to legalize pot, I’d look at all the money that was coming in to fight it. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. Johnson and Johnson. Seagrams. Anhauser Busch. It seems all the big drug companies didn’t like competition. But then Doctors said is was completely healthy. Who do you trust more, big government or your doctor? Everyone should be laughing because we all know the answer to that varies, depending on the issue. Conservatives suddenly become liberals and liberals become conservative. Everyone is happy to raise taxes on everybody else. Then we blame politicians for wanting too much control. We’re all a bunch of hypocrites. Why don’t we just keep everyone out of our living rooms, and we agree to stay out of theirs? That’s what freedom is all about folks. Ahhh but ignorance is bliss.

NFL owners should have confronted the issue of declining, tradition, history, character and integrity of the National Football League. Allowing the Rams to dump St. Louis fans after they were dumped by the Cardinals. Allowing San Diego fans to be betrayed by the Spanos “Mob” relocating to Carson City. And now stabbing Raider Nation in the back allowing them to re-locate yet again to Las Vegas. The NFL owners attitude that “it’s all about money” welcomes in billionaires who think they know about NFL football and have the money to purchase a new toy, and do with it what they will.
You can’t put a dollar figure on traditional values. NFL owner can’t rely on citizens to build their stadiums any longer. They’re already over-taxed. The NFL needs to change it’s charter. What’s next, the Alabama Jets or Utah Bears? The NFL couldn’t care less! Dooms Day coming.

I’m torn. While pot is illegal (don’t name certain states because federal provisions outrank state ones, I get the whole can’t use it angle because it’s illegal. That being said, it’s time for this country to move forward and legalize its use. Set up state run business that produce and sell it. Only make individuals distributing it illegal. It’s works for pseudaphedrine products and tie it to your license or state I’d card. That way society is happy, tax revenue would increase tenfold and jails would be saved for real criminals.

I don’t necessarily think marijuana should be illegal because it’s too expensive to send people over and over to court, but weed culture is degenerate. I roll my eyes every time I see people proclaiming their “wake and bake” status on Facebook or Twitter at 10 in the morning (don’t they have jobs?)….however if I posted on social media i’m starting my day off with a fifth of jack i’d be labeled a POS alcoholic (and rightfully so).

If you’re getting paid millions of dollars to play a game, the least you can do is set an example off the field and obey the law even if you think the law is unjust, especially since most players won’t play beyond 3-6 years, you can’t wait a few years to smoke a doobie? You REALLY got an addiction problem then.

People that use drugs show how pathetically weak they are. Aside from people with terminal illnesses that use it for medicinal reasons you’re just a punk if that’s all your life amounts to is getting stoned. You had all of Junior High years to do that. Grow up.

I can see these owners (read: Jerrah) tell the Chargers in no-uncertain-terms to earn their way or else. I think they allowed the Chargers to move to help Spanos save face, but in reality they all know it was not a good move. The Raiders had more of a gripe (and reason) to leave; the Chargers, just hard-headed stubbornness that a city wouldn’t build his team a stadium.

solid12345 says:
Apr 2, 2017 8:56 PM at 10 in the morning (don’t they have jobs?)….however if I posted on social media i’m starting my day off with a fifth of jack i’d be labeled a POS alcoholic (and rightfully so).

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I start my day off at 4:30 am every morning slamming down a couple cups of coffee. I guess I’m not the only one because I see a Starbucks on every corner. Mormons and others don’t drink coffee or tea. They don’t take drugs like most of us. But because we do it, we think it’s normal. That’s the best thing about America. We’re free to do a lot of things. Sometimes we take freedom for granted. If we go after them, they might come after us. I’ll let them have their morning bong hit, just give me my cup of coffee. Could you imagine if coffee was outlawed?

Any sport that openly allowed their players to be strung out on drugs to play the game , does not need my viewership or money. Make the NFL a you can use drugs if you want operation, I will use my money for better things, rather than spend it on theNFL.

Is Jerry far off on his stance to allow players to smoke weed?
I think not…let’s look at the percentage of 20 – 30 year old males in the
USA.
I am willing to bet that well over 50 per cent have smoked weed in the
last year. Does this effect their job? Probably not. So why should an
NFL player lose his job, income over his private use of weed?
As long as he is not driving or putting an innocent person at risk..
what’s the problem?
One question I would love to ask is how many of the second or third
generation owners ..whom where in college in the seventies smoked
Weed ?
Many owners and front office people went to college and Law school
while enjoying the stress relief offered by weed. Now they have the
audacity to make players lose an entire seasons wages?
What if the front office employees were subject to weed tests in the seventies and the eighties? How many present owners and front office personal as well as coaches would have been at risk?
It is not fair to suspend a player for an entire year for personal use of weed. The penalty far out weighs the harm…of any harm actually can be proved.
Come on owners ….we know specifically a few of you enjoyed the benefits …have the guts to take a stand like Jerry ..and admit ..you
did the same as many 20 to 30 year old people have done…that is to chill out at home and relax while smoking a joint. Your hypocrisy
is not fair.

As the NFL continues its rapid downhill slide into oblivion, the role models are more like rappers and gangsters than professional athletes. The urbanization of America. It will take more tha than Donald Trump to save America,

solid12345 says:
Apr 2, 2017 8:56 PM at 10 in the morning (don’t they have jobs?)….however if I posted on social media i’m starting my day off with a fifth of jack i’d be labeled a POS alcoholic (and rightfully so).

***********************************
I start my day off at 4:30 am every morning slamming down a couple cups of coffee. I guess I’m not the only one because I see a Starbucks on every corner. Mormons and others don’t drink coffee or tea. They don’t take drugs like most of us. But because we do it, we think it’s normal. That’s the best thing about America. We’re free to do a lot of things. Sometimes we take freedom for granted. If we go after them, they might come after us. I’ll let them have their morning bong hit, just give me my cup of coffee. Could you imagine if coffee was outlawed?
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So you think coffee and weed are basically the same thing? If you were to board a morning airline flight and the pilot announced he had just finished a Starbucks drink you’d feel the same way as if he announced he’d just finished a joint?

datschu says:
Apr 2, 2017 1:29 PM
@cardinalsfan20… why did bob Marley die? Lung cancer! And he wasn’t smoking cigarettes buddy… to sit here and tell everyone that smoking pot has zero effects on ones health is the dumbest thing I’ve heard this year. I used to smoke pot daily. Every day through my teen and early adult years… i quit because I wanted a decent job and I realized pot makes you stupid. I can’t remember basic things unless I write it down these days… and…. uh…. what was I talking about?

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Actually, Bon Marley died of Acral Melanoma. It’s a rare form of skin cancer. It started in his toe and he refused to have his toe amputated. It eventually spread to his brain and lungs.

But it had absolutely nothing at all to do with smoking marijuana. Research it if you don’t believe me.

I think the league should put Art Rooney in charge of its marijuana
policy …he is a lawyer and seems to have a lot lot of knowledge and
also seems to have some crediblity with many of the owners. Perhaps
his experience and his background would help create some type of reasonable approach to the marijuana issues.

By the way Cardinalsfan ..Bob Marley died of melanoma!! Not
lung cancer from marijuana!
Wow …how dumb is that!!
I will quote Cyril Wecht ….the long serving coroner of Pittsburgh with both a medical degree and law degree.
” I have performed more death exams than most physicians in the world…..never have I declared a person’s death as a result of marijuana use. In comparison I estimate that 20 percent of my
autopsies have estimated alcohol as a factor in the cause of death.”
( had him for law school ….it was on the exam!)

“wants the league to drop its prohibition on marijuana use. Jones was reminded that the issue falls under the umbrella of collective bargaining, which would require the players to make one or more concessions in exchange for significant changes to the marijuana prohibition.”

Basically saying ” If the players are willing to pay us for the right, then sure”